Unbreakable
by triplehhholic
Summary: If it's meant to be, it's meant to be........HHH/Steph
1. Prologue

Unbreakable

_"This love is unbreakable, through fire and flame, when all this is over, our love still remains........."_

Prologue

Stephanie's lips curved into a smile as she sat back in the small wooden chair. Her blue eyes settled on the man responsible for the current buzz of conversation in the small room. Paul Levesque. The Game. Triple H. She had to give him credit. His idea was absolute genius. The most hated man in the WWF would marry the daughter of the powerful owner giving him the leverage to get what he wanted, a shot at the coveted world federation title. In her eyes, no one deserved the belt more. No other wrestler worked harder than he did. Paul was so passionate and dedicated and gave one hundred and ten percent every night in that ring. In all respects, he truly was the Game.

Just then Paul's brown eyes met hers and Stephanie gave him a shy, embarrassed smile before turning her attention back to her father. Her finger clicked the lid of her pen as she watched him. His face was animated as he continued to develop on the storyline. She could see the excited glint he got in his eye whenever he thought he was onto something good. Only this wasn't going to be good. It was going to be great and she was going to do everything in her power to make it that way. This was her chance to really shine and gain some respect around here. For too long, she'd felt stuck in the shadows. Yeah, her storyline with Andrew had got her some air time but all it had done was give her a taste for even more. She wanted the chance to show everyone who thought that she was here because of her last name only that they were very sadly mistaken. She was here on her own merit and she was going to prove it. Working along side Paul would give her the opportunity she had been searching for. This was her time and nothing was going to screw this up for her.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Stephanie made her way into the hotel bar and spotted him straight away. His huge build stood out a mile not to mention his long blonde hair. Paul was sitting on a stool nursing his drink. No doubt it would be an ice water if memory served her correctly. Not that she knew that much about him. There were only the tiny bits of information she'd picked up over the past couple of years working backstage but the one thing she did know was that Paul rarely touched alcohol and he seemed to take his body pretty seriously. Then again, it had definitely paid dividends for him. He was in incredible shape and he looked absolutely fantastic. She would have to be completely blind not to notice how good he looked. In her opinion, no one filled a pair of wrestling trunks quite like the Game.

Stephanie smiled to herself as she wandered across the room towards him. She hadn't planned on coming down here to find him. She wasn't in the habit of frequenting the hotel bars but she had felt restless cooped up in her room. She had decided to have a drink instead and not alone either. Quite honestly, she was getting sick of her own company lately and being constantly on the road meant endless lonely nights but not tonight. Tonight she craved some conversation and hopefully Paul wouldn't mind her joining him. After all, he was all alone too. They had flown out this morning to shoot their "wedding" and filming had only wrapped up a couple of hours ago. She still felt buzzed with the adrenaline. There was nothing she loved more than being in the centre of a storyline. An amazing storyline now thanks to Paul's idea.

As she approached him, she cleared her throat to get his attention. His blonde hair shifted across his shoulders as he turned his head in her direction.

"Hey." she smiled shyly.

Paul's brown eyes instantly lit up as his lips curved upwards into a welcoming smile. "Hey." His big hand gestured towards the empty stool directly beside him. "You want to grab a seat?"

Stephanie smiled at him gratefully as she sat down placing her feet on the metal rung below her. She adjusted the bottom hem of her red sweater.

"Can I get you a drink?" he asked.

She nodded and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "I'll have a white wine please."

Paul ordered her drink and she twisted her fingers together a little nervously.

"I hope I'm not intruding." she smiled.

He immediately shook his head. "God, no, not at all. In fact, you've actually saved me." He leaned his head towards her almost conspiratorially and nodded over in the bar tender's direction. "See, Sam our friendly bar tender over there is actually a manic depressive." he hushed. "Another minute of his conversation and I would have been consuming a whole bottle of Jack to myself."

Stephanie giggled out loud but instantly placed her hand over her mouth to silence herself. Sam was making his way towards them that very second with her wine in his hand but his dour expression didn't help matters. It gave her the urge to laugh even more. Paul thanked him as she tried to get her suppressed snorts under control. As he passed her the glass, she managed to squeak out a thank you.

"You get the giggles quite a lot, don't you?" he asked.

His brown eyes were bemused as he smiled at her. The truth was Stephanie's laughter was one of the reasons why the shoot took so long today. Apparently his high pitched imitation of her voice sent her into a fit of giggles. It took sixteen attempts to finally get it right. At one point he was sure the crew considered drugging her for real just to get the job done. Quite honestly, he found himself amused by the whole thing and had laughed along with her. Her laughter had been infectious and not what he had expected really. It was throaty and husky, not one of those annoying high pitched squeals that irritated him to death.

As Paul took a sip of his water, he noticed Stephanie had managed to stop laughing long enough to take a mouthful of her wine and her nose scrunched up cutely as she swallowed.

"I just can't help myself really and the harder I try not to laugh, the more I find myself wanting to." she replied as she placed her glass down. Her expression turned serious as her hand gripped the thick stem moving it in a small circular motion across the bar. She pressed her lips together in a tight smile. "I'm sorry about screwing today up though."

Her blue eyes were apologetic. Paul was a professional and such a talented guy. She had wanted to make such a good impression. She had wanted to show him he hadn't made a mistake by volunteering to work with her and that she could handle being in a major storyline. Giggling every five minutes was not the way to impress anyone and especially not someone as talented as Paul.

"You didn't screw anything up, Stephanie." he said reassuringly. He paused for a second as his brown eyes twinkled mischievously. "But if it makes you feel any better, you more than likely had an attack of the nerves." Paul grinned smugly as he pushed back his hair. He sniffed as the soft strands fell back around his face. "I mean, it's not every day you get hitched to a guy as hot as myself."

Stephanie laughed and shook her head amused at his lack of modesty.

"And in such a romantic setting too." he smirked.

She watched him pick up his glass and finish his drink. The ice cubes clinked against the side. She couldn't help but notice how huge his arms were up close. The sleeves of black t-shirt strained against his massive biceps. She could even smell the faint trace of his cologne. Today was the first time she'd even really talked to Paul. Their conversation before now had been limited to exchanging pleasantries in the hallways. Being daddy's little girl did her no favours at all. People in the back were usually extremely wary of her and very seldom approached her. Even when they did, their conversation was guarded around her. No one really laughed or joked around in her presence. She was Vince McMahon's daughter and that alienated her somewhat from everybody else.

"Can I get you another drink?" asked Paul as he summoned the bar tender.

Stephanie shook her head. Her large glass was still practically full and besides, she hadn't had any dinner. One glass would be enough. Any more and her head would probably spin. She never could drink on an empty stomach.

"So, I read over the script for Monday night."

Stephanie raised her eyebrows fractionally as she brought her glass to her mouth and took a sip of her drink.

"I have to admit I'm actually pretty excited about it."

Stephanie swallowed her drink and grinned. "You are? Me too!" she admitted.

Paul smiled as he thanked the bar tender for his drink. His hand absently rubbed his denim clad thigh as his brown eyes settled on her once again. "It's something the audience won't be expecting, you know."

Stephanie nodded as she absently picked a loose thread from her sweater. "It's definitely a brilliant twist. Dad absolutely loves the idea. I do too for that matter." she smiled.

"Well, hopefully the fans will agree with you Monday."

Stephanie's smile widened as she shifted on her seat flicking her hair over her shoulder. "Of course they will. I mean, how could they not? The most hated man in the ring gets one over on his arch nemesis by marrying his little girl in turn giving him the ultimate bargaining tool to get what he wants."

"A shot at the WWF championship." grinned Paul.

"And which is no more than he deserves in my opinion."

Paul looked almost embarrassed as he turned away and his thick finger traced the rim of his glass. Stephanie had to admit she found his reaction kind of cute. Paul didn't seem the type of guy who liked to brag about himself. He didn't appear to have an ego in or out of the ring, well not from the little that she'd witnessed anyway. Anything her father suggested creatively or otherwise, Paul was always happy to go along with it. It seemed that he would do anything for the business. It was one of the many things her father loved about him. His passion and his dedication were admirable to say the least which is why he deserved to be on top. Paul gave absolutely everything in that ring and then some. Not like some of the other curtain jerkers who thought it was their God given right to be there. Stephanie lifted her glass to her lips and took another mouthful of wine.

"How does Martin feel about it all anyway?"

Paul tilted his head round, his brown eyes settling on her face. A lock of hair fell across his cheek. She shrugged as she swallowed her wine. "Quite honestly, I don't know. I haven't really talked to him about it."

Paul nodded and licked his lips.

"But I guess he can't be surprised. I mean, with Russo leaving like that no one really had a clue where to go with the storyline. Beyond the wedding, there was nothing planned." Stephanie held her glass on her lap as she leant her elbow on the cherry wood bar. "And it's not like Andrew could have used his position as my husband for the power and the title. It just wouldn't have worked. He's not exactly what you would class main event material."

Paul raised his eyebrows. "You don't think so?"

Stephanie quickly shook her head and her nose wrinkled in surprise. "Why, you don't do you?" she asked.

"Oh no." he laughed, checking the watch on his wrist.

"You have to be somewhere?"

Paul quickly shook his head as his hand fell to his side. "I just wondering if I'd missed room service, that's all."

"Why? Are you hungry?"

"I'm starving." he replied as his hand absently rubbed at his stomach.

Stephanie chuckled as she pushed her brown strands behind her left ear. "I did spot a small diner just down the street from here. It's probably open all night."

"In that case, I'll check it out. Thanks." he smiled and pushed back his stool to stand up.

Stephanie tried not to feel disappointed as he grabbed his leather coat. She had been enjoying his company. Now it looked like she'd spend the rest of her night holed up in her room alone. It was either that or suffer the company of Sam the manic depressive bar tender. She took a sip of her drink and watched Paul flick his hair over his collar. He looked thoughtful as he smiled in her direction.

"Actually, would you like to join me?"

Stephanie's blue eyes went wide with surprise at his invitation. It was very rare she got invited out and never by one of the wrestlers.

"Unless of course you've already eaten." he said.

"No." she smiled as she held up her glass. "My dinner has consisted of liquids only so far tonight."

"In that case, drink up and you can lead the way."

Stephanie quickly drained her glass and hopped down from her stool. Picking up her bag, she fell in step with Paul as they left the bar and walked out into the lobby. She found herself looking forward to spending more time with him. Paul seemed a really, nice genuine guy and there was just something about him that put her at ease. There was no doubt she was going to enjoy working with him. She had suddenly developed a really good feeling about this storyline.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Stephanie's fingers gripped the ruffled silk material of her dress lifting it from the grubby floor as she made her way backstage. Her high heeled stiletto shoes clicked loudly along the concrete. She was desperate to get back to her dressing room if only for the fact her head was becoming quite painful. The pins in her hair holding her veil in place were way too tight and she had the overwhelming urge to claw at her scalp. The sooner she got out of this get up the better. Maybe then she could finally breathe out properly. Movement in this dress was definitely less than minimal. The lengths she went to for this business were pretty ridiculous.

Stephanie chuckled to herself as she approached her door. That was when she saw him standing just down the corridor. He had his back to the wall and his left knee was bent as the sole of his boot rested against the chipped paint. He was laughing at something Shane was saying to him and she noticed his white rose was still attached to his black leather jacket. Stephanie smiled softly as she slowly walked towards them. She felt the need to congratulate Paul on a job well done. He really had been great tonight. The crowd reaction to his little revelation had been more than they could have expected, her father included. He had been extremely pleased when she had left him a couple of minutes ago back at the curtain area.

"There she is now. Our blushing bride." grinned Shane as he turned in her direction.

Stephanie sighed as she stopped just in front of them, dropping the hem of her dress to reach up and tug at the bodice. "Yeah well the only reason I'm blushing is because this dress is too tight and it's cutting off my circulation."

"Are you bitching about that still?"

Stephanie narrowed her big blue eyes in her brother's direction. "You try wearing this thing and see how long you last before you pass out from the lack of air."

"I don't think ivory is quite Shano's colour." smirked Paul as he took his foot away and pushed himself off the wall. His boots scuffed against the concrete as he stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets.

Shane flashed him a sarcastic smile as he lifted his wrist and checked his watch. "Listen, I'm going to grab a quick word with Pat before he leaves for the night. I'll catch you guys later, okay?"

He began to disappear down the corridor. Stephanie turned flicking the white lace of her veil over her shoulder as she called out after him. "Shane, you'd better remember you're taking me back to the hotel later."

He barely lifted his hand in acknowledgment before turning the corner.

Stephanie pressed her lips together shaking her head as she continued to glance down the now quiet corridor. "He'll forget, you know. He always does. I'll probably have to hunt him down and find him." She turned her head towards Paul. He was smiling at her.

"Well if you end up stuck, I can always give you a ride back."

Stephanie's eyebrows raised fractionally as the corners of her lips curled upwards. "You are joking, right?"

"What do you mean by that?" he scowled. Paul removed his hands from his pockets. The gold band he still wore on his left hand sparkled in the dim lighting of the hall.

"Well, it's common knowledge in the back that you drive like a maniac you know."

"What!? According to whom?"

Stephanie shrugged casually as she tried to contain her amusement at his reaction. His nose was wrinkled cutely and his forehead was tensed. "Sorry. I can't reveal my sources."

"That's because you're making it up. It's a pack of lies."

"What about your terrible sense of direction then? I witnessed that myself when we were in Vegas. You only drove down the block and you took a wrong turn."

Paul shook his head and as he pretended to glower at her, the twinkle in his brown eyes revealing his humour. "You know for someone who could very well need a ride back to her hotel room tonight, you're going the right way to ending up abandoned here."

Stephanie made a face at him as she reached up into her hair, her fingernails lightly scratching at her scalp.

"Itchy head?"

"My God Paul, you have no idea."

His deep chuckle filled the silent corridor as she continued to scratch furiously loosening strands of hair around her forehead.

"I need to get this damn thing off and quick."

"In that case, I'll let you go and unveil yourself. I need to go and grab my bag and stuff anyways." He smiled as he turned away from her and his heavy footsteps echoed down the corridor.

"Paul?"

He stopped in his tracks and spun on his heel to see Stephanie standing in front of him, her hands clasped loosely in front of her. Her pretty smile lit up her face.

"I just wanted to congratulate you on a job well done tonight. The audience loved it." she said.

A slow, almost proud grin crossed his face. "Thanks but you know I can't take all the credit. You were pretty great yourself out there."

Stephanie felt herself blushing as she stood for a second watching Paul disappear down the corridor. Praise from him meant so much to her. Paul was one of the best in the business. She knew he was taking a risk working with her but she was determined not to let him down. It was just a pity she only had such a short time to prove herself. The storyline would be over and done with in a couple of weeks. Paul would be well on the road to becoming champion and she…..well who the hell knows what she would be doing. It was something she needed to discuss with her father but that wasn't a priority right now. Her priority was getting out of this dress and fast.

Stephanie grabbed the hem and lifted it up as she made her way to the dressing room. In a matter of moments, she was in her jeans and sweater, well only after cursing and struggling with her zip for the better part of three of them. She was gathering the loose hair pins into her hand when she heard the soft knock at the door.

"Come in." she called.

"Are you decent?"

Stephanie smiled at his voice and turned round to see Paul poking his head into the room. He was wearing his hair down now and it fell in loose waves around his shoulders. The rose had been removed from his jacket and he was holding his large black gym bag. He chomped on his gum as he casually strolled towards her, his boots scuffing along the floor.

"Damn it, you are as well." he smirked.

Stephanie shook her head in amusement as she lifted her makeup bag and placed the pins inside. One thing she'd learned about Paul very quickly was that he always joked around and in her opinion was a natural born flirt. Not that he ever made her feel the least bit uncomfortable with it, not at all. In fact, he made her laugh constantly and she was grateful to him too. Paul just treated her like everyone else. He didn't hold back because she was daddy's little girl and she appreciated that more than he would know. She licked her lips as she placed her makeup bag in her large holdall. "If you were looking for a free peep show, I think Mae could still be down the hall."

She tried to hold back her laughter as he visibly winced in disgust.

"You know that's not even funny."

Stephanie chuckled lightly as she zipped up her bag

"I'm sorely tempted now to just leave you here."

Her blue eyes went wide with disbelief. "Don't tell me Shane's left without me?"

Paul quickly shook his head. "He's going to be caught up with Pat for a while. I told him I'd look after you."

"Thank you." she smiled as she grabbed her coat.

Paul shrugged as his feet shifted on the floor and he adjusted the strap of his bag on his shoulder. "Hey, I crashed your wedding. The least I can do is take you back to the hotel."

Stephanie grinned as she flicked her loose waves over her shoulder and lifted her bag. "I guess you do owe me. After all, you did spoil what should have been my wedding night."

"Eh, I figured I did you a favour. The rumours are he wouldn't have risen to the occasion anyway."

Stephanie snorted with amusement as she followed him out of the arena. "You're kidding me?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Oh my God, that is hilarious."

She was still chuckling as they stepped outside and the cold wind blew against her face instantly nipping at her cheeks. "Where are you parked?" she asked slightly shivering. "I hope it's close by."

"Actually I'm not too sure."

"Paul." she groaned.

"Look, it's not my fault. These damn rental cars all look the same to me."

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "Well do you at least remember the colour of it?"

"It was black."

She stopped in her tracks in the middle of the car park placing her bag on the ground. At least twenty black cars were still parked in front of them. Paul's brown eyes narrowed curiously in her direction as she held out her hand towards him.

"Give me your keys." she said.

"Why?"

"Never mind why. Just give them to me."

"God woman, you're so demanding." he said rummaging in the pocket of his jeans.

She snatched them from his outstretched fingers and he watched on amused as she pointed them towards the cars. She gave a little cry of triumph as the indicator lights flashed on a vehicle in the middle of the row.

Paul raised his brow pressing his lips together as he watched Stephanie lift up her bag.

"Brains as well as beauty, huh? I am impressed." he smiled.

"There is no end to my talents, you know."

"Oh I'll bet there isn't." he smirked.

Stephanie pretended to scowl at him as she opened her car door. "Just get in the car Paul, will you."

His deep laughter echoed around the silent car park and her lips upturned into the faintest of smiles. Paul really was something else but she was getting used to his little innuendos. In fact, she was really beginning to like being in his company and was starting to consider him as a friend. Maybe Paul even felt the same way about her. Regardless, she was going to make the most of the next couple of weeks and enjoy every single second of their storyline together.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Stephanie took a sip of her coffee just as her cell phone beeped. Swallowing the hot liquid, she placed the Styrofoam cup on the table and picked up the phone, flipping it open and checking the message. A soft smile adorned her face as she read the words on screen.

"Who's it from?"

She let her eyes linger or a second longer before she turned to her brother raising her eyebrow at him. "Now that would be none of your business. It's personal."

"It's Nathan, isn't it?"

"I told you. It's none of your business." she smirked as she placed the phone back down on the table turning to the laptop sitting in front of her.

"You know I'd wish you'd date someone a little better for you."

Stephanie glanced at her father who was sifting through some papers, his glasses perched at the end of his nose. As he shuffled them together he set them down and resting his forearms on the table, he turned his full attention on his daughter.

"You're an intelligent girl Stephanie. Why are you wasting your time on a total waste of space like……well, like what-his-name?"

Stephanie rolled her eyes at Shane's amused snort and sighed softly as she quickly scrolled through her e-mail. "His name is Nathan, Daddy and he's not a waste of space. Just because he plays in a band instead of going to the office every day doesn't mean he's not doing something with his life. Anyway, I thought you liked him."

"No, I tolerate him. That's entirely different."

"Is that so?" replied Stephanie, the corners of her mouth twitching upwards as she sat back in the chair.

"Yes. I want better for you, Stephanie. Not someone who walks around with their head up their own ass and a guy who, quite frankly, doesn't have the balls or the grit to make anything of his life."

Her chestnut strands shifted across her shoulders as her head shook slowly. "I'm only dating him, Daddy. I'm not planning to marry him and have his babies for goodness sakes."

"Maybe not now but someday you'll want to settle down and start a family of your own. That's why you need to start thinking about the future and dating someone who you know can take care of you and look after you properly, someone who can give you some security and stability in your life. Someone like say Triple H for example."

Stephanie's blue eyes widened in surprise at her father's remark. "Triple H?"

"Why not? He's hardworking, he's funny, honest. He's level headed. He'd be great for you."

Shane shifted in his seat as he turned to his father who was sitting beside him. "Don't you mean someone like Triple H?"

Vince looked at his son for a moment before he quickly nodded. "Yeah. Someone like Triple H."

Stephanie smirked as she focused on the laptop screen once more. "I'll bear that in mind Dad. Hey, maybe I'll even ask Paul if he has a brother."

"Paul?"

Stephanie glanced at her brother to see the flicker of amusement across his face.

"Since when did you call him Paul?" he asked.

Her nose wrinkled in confusion. "That is his name, Shane."

"Well yeah but most people backstage just call him Hunter. No one ever really uses his real name. I guess you guys must be close or something." he teased, his brown eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Shut up. You know fine well we've been working the storyline together."

"Ah yes. Speaking of the storyline….."

Both siblings quickly turned their attention to their father who slowly removed his brown rimmed glasses from his nose before closing over the legs and placing them on the table in front of him. His mouth curved into a smile.

"I'm think we should run with it a little bit longer."

Stephanie's face lit up excitedly. "What? You're serious?"

Vince nodded as he settled back in his chair.

"But why, Dad?" asked Shane.

Well you saw the crowd reaction last week."

"Yeah. They chanted slut at your daughter. Do you really want to encourage that?"

"Shano, ratings are up. The audience loves it and Steph is doing a good job out there. Quite frankly, it would be stupid not to continue with this. Of course, I'll have to talk to Hunter and make sure he's okay with it all."

"And Steph?"

Stephanie's blue eyes were wide as they settled on her brother. "I'm perfectly happy, Shane. I can do this. I really can."

He smiled and nodded his head.

"In that case, I'll go and find Hunter right now and talk to him before the meeting starts." said Vince pushing back his chair. He got to his feet resting his hand on Stephanie's shoulder. As she looked up at him, she swore she saw a flicker of pride in his face.

"You do know this means you'll be turning heel."

Stephanie quickly nodded.

"But it's going to be tough for my heart to take, having my own daughter turn on me."

Stephanie rolled her eyes as she patted his hand. "Stop being so dramatic, Dad. It's only a storyline for goodness sakes."

She smiled tenderly as she watched him leave the room. It wasn't until the door had closed over that she felt the bubbles of excitement form in the pit of her stomach. Her fingers lightly trembled as they touched the laptop keys. She knew this was a huge opportunity for her to really shine and she wanted to so badly. She wasn't going to let herself or her father down. She was going to prove herself and make him proud. Seeing that flicker of pride on his face a moment ago made her all that more determined. All she needed now was for Paul to say yes. She looked at her watch on her left wrist and sighed softly. The creative meeting was in less than hour. She guessed she would have her answer then.

"So is there anything more we need to discuss?"

Vince's question was met with silence and few shaking heads.

"In that case, this meeting is over."

The sound of scraping chairs filled the room. Stephanie sighed gratefully as she closed over her planner and clicked the lid of her silver pen. She stifled a yawn pushing back her own seat and felt her stomach grumble in protest as she bent over to retrieve her bag. She had slept in and had to skip breakfast and was now absolutely ravenous. Of course it hadn't helped that the meeting had gone on longer than expected either. Everyone seemed to want to voice an opinion today and in particular her father.

Guiding a lock of hair behind her ear, Stephanie began gathering her things together. It wasn't until she stood up from the table that she noticed Paul walking over in her direction. Her lips curved up gently in acknowledgement as he adjusted the black baseball cap on his head, his blonde hair scraped back in a ponytail underneath.

"Hey. I wanted to catch you and see if you had time to go over the script for the show." he smiled.

"Right now?"

"Yeah, well unless you have other plans."

"Only the ones that include catering. I missed breakfast this morning." explained Stephanie.

Paul crossed his huge arms over his chest as his brown eyes narrowed in her direction. "You know you shouldn't do that. You should always make time for a decent breakfast."

"Yes dad." she giggled.

"Hey, less of that." he replied pretending to scowl as his hands fell to his sides once more. "I'm not that old, you know."

"Oh I don't know. Thirty seems pretty old to me."

"And how do you know how old I am?"

Stephanie shrugged coyly as she placed the strap of her bag over her shoulder.

"You've been checking up on me, haven't you?" smirked Paul.

"Sorry to burst your bubble but no." she laughed. "I just know you're the same age as Shane that's all. Although I guess if I really wanted to, I would be able to pull a few strings and find a few things out about you." she replied teasingly.

Paul raised his brow as his long fingers lifted to scratch at his chin. "Or you could just do the simple thing and ask me."

Stephanie shrugged her right shoulder as a slow smile crept across her face. "Then maybe I will but right now, I need to go in search of that big greasy hamburger with my name written all over it."

Paul's shoulder shook with his deep throaty laughter as he followed her out of the room and into the narrow corridor.

"You could join me if you like and I could interrogate you while we eat." she offered.

He dryly rolled his eyes. "Sounds just like the dinner table at home."

"Well then you'll know exactly what to expect."

"I guess I will." Paul chuckled as he pushed open the door and standing aside, he let her through.

"So, do I have the pleasure of your company?" asked Stephanie as they continued along the corridor.

"Steph, I would never refuse a pretty lady."

"So I've heard." she quipped and immediately grimaced mentally chastising herself for the personal attack. She was only just getting to know Paul. She had no right to make a comment like that and certainly not one that appeared to be judging him. She was about to offer an apology when she heard his amused snort. Stephanie slowly turned her head to see Paul's handsome face lit up with his broad smile. His brown eyes twinkled as he playfully nudged her with his hip.

"Good comeback, McMahon. I like it."

Stephanie's shoulders instantly sighed with her relief.

"You know I have to admit you are nothing like I expected."

Her blue eyes lit up with curiosity. "And what did you expect?"

Paul looked thoughtful as his fingers lifted to absently scratch at his ear. "I'm not exactly sure to be honest but I do know I've enjoyed working with you the past couple of weeks. It's actually been a pleasant surprise and you're a natural in front of the camera."

Stephanie bit down on her lip trying to contain her proud smile.

"Then when your father came to me this morning and suggested running with the whole marriage thing, I agreed straight away. I really think we've got something pretty great here and I'm actually pretty excited about it."

"Me too." she grinned hearing the enthusiasm in Paul's deep voice. He was someone else she was determined not to let down. He had shown faith in her and taken the chance to work with her. He'd also been encouraging even taking the time to teach her one or two things. Her father had been right. Paul was a great guy.

As he held open the entrance door to the arena for her, Stephanie smiled adjusting her bag on her shoulder. "Paul, do you happen to have a brother by any chance?"

He quickly shook his head as they began to make their way across the car park. "No just one older sister. Why?"

"Oh, no reason. Just curious that's all." she replied as she fell in step beside him.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Oh my God! Did you hear that crowd out there!?"

Paul smiled as Stephanie's big blue eyes sparkled with her excitement. She was pacing around the small dressing room, her body bubbling with her energy as she beamed across at him. They had just returned from the ring after completing their humiliating beat down of Test and proving to the sold out arena and the world that the McMahon Helmsley era was now running the show.

"It was amazing wasn't it? Their reaction just gives you this huge thrilling adrenaline rush." she explained.

As her arms gesticulated wildly in the air, Paul shook his head unable to contain his amusement at her reaction. Stephanie couldn't stand still and was practically bouncing on the spot. In fact, the woman was bordering on being hyper-active and she had been that way most of the day. Apparently daddy's little girl was excited about their storyline and he had to admit her excitement was contagious because he felt the exact same way.

Raking his long fingers through his damp blonde strands, Paul's eyes twinkled back at her. "I can see that. Either that or you've overdosed on caffeine again."

A slow smirk crept across his face as Stephanie glared back at him. Her coffee consumption had sort of become this running joke between them especially now he had witnessed first hand how much she actually drank of the stuff when she was working backstage before a show. It was enough to sink a small vessel and it was little wonder she was jumping off the walls when the night was eventually over.

"Shut up! I'm just excited that's all." she scowled back playfully. "And just so you know, for the record, I only had a maximum of four coffees today, five at the most."

"Are we talking pots or mugs here?" Paul teased as he brushed past her to walk to his open gym bag.

Stephanie bit back her smile as she lightly shook her head. "Don't exaggerate."

His massive shoulders shook with his amused chuckle as he began to rake through his crumpled belongings. Stephanie wandered over in his direction tucking her brown curls behind her ear and unable to resist giving him the once over as she stood just beside him. Paul was still in his wrestling gear and it was hard not to notice or admire how incredible his body really was. The guy was ripped and all his hard work and dedication in the gym had definitely paid dividends for him that was for sure. Not that she would ever tell him that of course. He would only make some comment about her checking him out and she wasn't adding fuel to that fire. He loved to tease her as it was and in fact she swore he got way too much enjoyment from it.

Pressing her lips together, Stephanie deliberately warded off a smile at that thought. "You know I've come to realise something about you."

"What's that?" Paul asked, cocking his head to one side as he pulled out a thick folded navy towel. She sniffed pretending to look offended as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"That clearly you take way too much pleasure in ribbing on me."

His low laughter echoed around the walls of the small room.

"Oh I'm not ribbing Steph." he grinned, turning to her. "I mean we've been working together, what, a few weeks now. It's obvious to me and probably everyone else here that you've clearly got an addiction."

"I do not." she protested.

"Please!" he snorted as his left hand reached out to rest on her shoulder and his feet shifted on the concrete floor. His deep brown eyes were shining back at her. "I've never seen anyone consume so much caffeine in my life before. In fact I'm surprised you haven't turned into a coffee by now. Black and two sugars of course." he winked.

Stephanie's lips twitched with her amusement as Paul squeezed her shoulder affectionately before turning his attention back to his bag and his clothes, absently scratching at his thin beard as he hugged the towel in his other arm.

"I'm impressed." she told him. "You remember my order."

His eyes lifted to roll dryly at her. "You sent me to catering three times this afternoon, Steph. Of course I remember."

"Such the dutiful husband!" she grinned.

"Yes I am. And don't you forget it princess." he playfully warned.

"Oh I wouldn't dare." Stephanie shot back as she wandered over to the small sofa where she had set up a makeshift desk. Her laptop sat open on the table surrounded by papers that seemed to be strewn everywhere. Pushing up the sleeves on her red top, she set to work gathering them together into one neat pile.

"And I'm sure Joanie appreciates your attentive nature as much as I do." she joked, continuing the conversation as she sorted through the edited scripts.

"Oh I wouldn't bet on it."

Stephanie lifted her head holding a dog eared scribbled sheet in her hand as she looked over at Paul. He was sitting on a chair bending over as he untied his wrestling boots. As she watched him, she realised she wasn't surprised by his actual comment. It was no secret that things weren't so good in their relationship right now. Joanie walked around with her face like a permanent wet weekend and just yesterday at the pay per view she'd witnessed them arguing heatedly in the corridor before the show started. She hadn't said anything to Paul about it though because in the first place it was none of her concern. What happened between Paul and Joanie was their business. Secondly, from the little she had gathered, Paul appeared to be a private person and she respected that privacy being she was just as eager to keep her personal life just that; personal. That's why she was more surprised than anything that he had offered the comment up in the first place. Any time she enquired about Joanie, he usually brushed her off saying things were fine between them. But it was obvious things weren't fine and just maybe Paul was sick and tired of pretending it was. Maybe he even needed a friendly shoulder and she could offer him that. After all, she'd like to think that's what they were slowly becoming; friends. Or at least she hoped they were. She didn't have many of those around especially not in her position and Paul was one of the very few who didn't treat her differently because of who she was. She was so grateful for that and appreciated it more than he could possibly know.

"You guys having problems?" she asked tentatively.

Paul slowly lifted his head, his serious brown eyes fixing on her. "I don't want to go there, if you don't mind."

Stephanie quickly nodded her head showing him she completely understood. "Sure. I just thought I would give you the chance to talk about it if you wanted to. But you don't and it's completely fine."

He offered her a small smile effectively ending the conversation as he kicked his boots from his feet and stood up from the chair.

"But we could talk about the script for tomorrow's show before you leave." she offered as she glanced back at the papers in front of her. "I'm sure Dad said there were a couple of changes here and there that we might want to look over before the meeting tomorrow."

"Sure." Paul replied as his thick fingers untied the white laces of his trunks and they dangled loosely over the waistband as he lifted the towel he'd laid down next to his bag. On his way to the adjoining shower room, he paused in the doorway glancing over at Stephanie as she peered at her laptop screen lightly frowning.

"Maybe we could even grab some food somewhere at the same time." he suggested hoping she would take him up on the offer. Sure, he was starving but the real truth was he was desperate for the excuse to avoid his hotel room and the pissed off girlfriend that waited for him there. He and Joanie had yet another argument about nothing at all and he was beginning to seriously wonder what her problem was especially when he was doing everything he fucking could to please her lately. Of course it wasn't enough and it appeared nothing ever was where he was concerned.

"Hmmm, I'm not that hungry though." Stephanie replied as she began to jab at her keyboard momentarily distracting him from those thoughts.

"Then you can just drink even more coffee while I eat."

Her big blue eyes glowered in his direction as she picked up a pen and tossed it in his direction. It hit the floor before it even got to him smacking and rolling over the concrete. "Smart ass! Get out of here." she quipped.

Chuckling, Paul had only taken a few steps when she called out his name halting him in his tracks.

"Paul?"

"Yeah?" he asked, his brow crinkling with his curiosity as he turned back to face her.

Stephanie was standing now and she looked almost anxious as she chewed down on her bottom lip and stared back at him.

"You've no regrets about doing this, do you?" she asked him.

He slowly shook his head as his lips curved up gently. "No. No regrets."

Her shoulders seemed to slump with her relief as her smile lit up her pretty face. "Good. It's just this storyline, well I've never told you this but it's a pretty big deal to me."

"It is?"

Stephanie nodded emphatically. "Of course. I mean not only am I getting to work with someone I consider to be that truly talented and amazing in the ring, I also get the chance to show everyone that I'm here on my own merit and not just because I'm Vince McMahon's daughter."

Paul's facial expression softened at her admission understanding exactly where she was coming from and what she meant. He knew how difficult it had to be for both Shane and Stephanie trying to fill the McMahon shoes. And being Vince's kids did them no favours with the talent backstage either, Stephanie especially being she was daddy's precious little girl. People were reluctant or even afraid to approach her never mind taking the time to get to know her. And they all thought the same thing too. She was only here because of her last name but that was completely untrue. And even in just the last few weeks he could see how untrue that really was. Stephanie loved this business every bit as much as he did and dare he say it, maybe even more. She was passionate and dedicated and worked her ass off striving for perfection every day. And she wanted to learn as much as she possibly could. She was constantly pestering him, asking him to teach her things in the ring. He had to say she had his vote and he had no doubts whatsoever about her ability to the job.

Smiling, he lifted his shoulder in a casual shrug. "Well if it means anything, you've won me over."

He could see her face flicker with a shy pride as she smiled back at him bashfully. "What's this? A compliment from the Game?"

"Don't sound so surprised. I always had faith in you, you know."

Yes he did and Stephanie knew she would always be eternally grateful to him for that.

"And by the way, I meant to mention earlier that I like the hair."

"Yeah?" she giggled wrapping her finger around the ends of a few loose strands. "Well apparently the curls make me more of a bitch."

"Is that so?"

"Think you can handle a bitch for a wife?"

"Oh I can handle it." he said dryly. "It's not like I haven't had any practice in that department."

But Paul regretted his words as he saw the flicker of sympathy in Stephanie's big blue eyes. He didn't want her sympathy or anyone else's for that matter. He just wanted one night without another fucking shouting match. That's why he was keen to spend time working with Stephanie. They had fun together and she made him laugh and God knows it felt like he hadn't laughed in the longest time.

"Ignore me." he told her.

"Oh I planned to."

He snorted with his laughter at her comeback. "You're a real case, McMahon."

"Yes I am." she grinned back. "I'm also hungry too so hurry up and take that shower so we can grab something to eat."

His brow furrowed in confusion. "I thought you said earlier you didn't want to eat."

"Yeah well you should know it's a woman's prerogative to completely change her mind."

Paul rolled his eyes and audibly groaned as he pushed his hair back from his forehead.

"God help me." he muttered as he turned and disappeared into the shower.


	6. Chapter 5

A special thank you has to go to **LevesqueFan1 **whose recent feedback not only reminded me I wrote this story but it also encouraged me to open it up and work on it again. Hope you all enjoy it :)

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Chapter 5

"So."

"So?" Stephanie replied smiling at Paul who was standing in front of her. He was chomping on some gum as he grinned at her smugly. She rolled her eyes wondering what on earth could be on his mind now. Paul had been in this weird mood all day and if she didn't know him better, she'd think he'd had indulged in too much of the Christmas spirit. Unfortunately iced water couldn't be considered a credible culprit so there was no real excuse for his behaviour, well not of the alcoholic variety anyway. All she knew was that Paul had been teasing her constantly all day and sometimes the undertones to that teasing were definitely flirtatious and more so than usual. Of course she knew Paul was a natural born flirt but it hadn't helped that she'd spent the best part of the day sitting on his lap taping segments for the show. Her proximity almost seemed to add fuel to his mood and while most of the show had been a blur as they had so much dialogue that night, one moment in particular stayed in her mind. It was when she had reached up and whispered in Paul's ear and he had giggled out loud telling her those whispers gave him butterflies. The thing that got her about that was there had been no reason for him to say that to her. It hadn't been scripted but she was quickly coming to learn that it didn't matter. When it came to their promos together, Paul very rarely stuck to any script. He liked to improvise and adlib so much so most times she had no clue what would come out of his mouth. Like the butterfly comment. Still, she didn't know why she wanted to dwell on it. She had put that down to improvisation and Paul's knack to say things that made the audience think they were a credible couple. That and they seemed to have real chemistry together; a chemistry that made their storyline believable and attract ratings. To say her father was delighted with how things were progressing was an understatement and she had to say she definitely felt an element of pride every single time he congratulated them both on a job well done.

"So there's mistletoe in here." Paul smirked back lifting Stephanie from her thoughts as his eyebrows wiggled causing her to let out a snort of amused laughter.

"And don't tell me. The mistletoe means you expect a kiss from me or something."

"I wouldn't say no."

"Well I do. You might try to slip me the tongue or something." she retorted knowing that the mood Paul was in, there was every chance he might do so. Of course it didn't help that he threatened her with the tongue each and every time they kissed on screen. He seemed to enjoy winding her up but of course those threats had been empty. So far anyway and Paul had been nothing but a gentleman with her and when his lips met hers they remained firmly closed. He respected her and that went both ways because she respected Paul too.

"Only in your dreams McMahon." he chuckled.

"Only every day." she flirted back.

"See I knew you dreamt about me." he replied cockily.

Stephanie rolled her eyes dryly and ducked her head as she felt her face flame with her blushes. The truth was she had dreamt about Paul once and not so long ago either. They had been in the back of a rental car and it was safe to say their encounter wasn't exactly of the friendly sort. Her skirt had been bunched around her waist as she had straddled Paul and he had taken her roughly. She had woken up in a hot sweat much like the heat she had experienced the very next morning when she had met up with Paul. It had been embarrassing and hard to concentrate on scripts and shows with the image of their joined bodies still fresh in her mind.

"So these dreams?" he continued snapping Stephanie once more from her thoughts.

"What dreams?" she asked lifting her eyes to meet his. His deep brown orbs sparkled mischievously back at her.

"The dreams you have about me. Are we in bed together?"

"Who said anything about a bed?" she teased as her blue eyes went wide and she pressed her lips together resisting the urge to laugh out loud at Paul's surprised expression. It was only recently that she had started to flirt back with him and she could tell that while it had taken him aback initially, he was slowly getting used to it and knowing Paul he probably enjoyed it too.

"No bed?" he enquired.

Stephanie shook her head thoughtfully. "I prefer somewhere a little more exciting, don't you? Like the shower maybe. Or some dirty back alley somewhere. Or maybe even this locker room." she said using a playful seductive tone as her hand gestured to their current location.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. We wouldn't even lock the door." she grinned.

"I like the way you think McMahon." Paul grinned back. He had to admit he enjoyed her comebacks especially recently. The closer they became, the more Stephanie opened up around him and he was quickly discovering she was funny as well as smart. Not only that, she was more than happy to play along with his harmless flirting. In fact there were times where she even encouraged it like now. Their playful banter with one another was quickly becoming part of their friendship and at times Paul felt like pinching himself wondering if that could even be true. After all, what were the chances that six months ago, he would have found himself considering the boss's daughter as a friend. But Stephanie was a friend and a hell of a lot of fun to be around. In fact there were times he found himself looking forward to her company. It was a welcome distraction from the crap he'd been getting from Joanie lately. If Stephanie's friendship was a surprise, the deterioration of his relationship wasn't and if he was honest it was only a matter of time before he would have to face up to the truth. He and Joanie were drifting apart whether he liked it or not and he was going to have to do something about it. He wasn't in the habit of settling when it came to his happiness.

"So daddy's little girl is a bit of exhibitionist, huh?" he asked pushing that thought from his mind and focusing instead on Stephanie. Her smile was a ray of sunshine compared to the shit that was quickly becoming his personal life.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she teased back and her tongue poked between her teeth as she grinned.

"Yes I would actually." Paul replied and although he said it in a joking manner, in that moment, he realised that actually he was pretty serious. He did want to know. In fact, the more he got to know the young woman standing in front of him, the more he wanted to know about her. For some reason Stephanie intrigued him in more ways than one. Quite honestly, he'd never met anyone like her before.

Just then there was a knock at the door and Paul turned to see Nathan, Stephanie's boyfriend, pop his head round the door. This had been his first experience at a show tonight and Stephanie had left him in her father's capable hands much to Nathan's dismay and Vince's apparently. According to Stephanie daddy disapproved of their relationship and Paul wasn't surprised. When it came to Vince, no guy would ever be good enough for his baby girl. No one could live up to the standards he set. Personally, he thought Nathan was a decent enough guy. A little weedy perhaps but decent.

"What's up guys?"

Paul's brown eyes twinkled mischievously as he shifted round to look at Stephanie.

"How about I just ask him?" he asked.

"Ask me what?" Nate asked curiously.

"Nothing." Stephanie told her boyfriend, smiling sweetly but that smile quickly turned into a scowl as she glared at Paul lightly cursing at him under her breath.

"So Steph are you ready to go?"

"I just need a minute." she told him as she lifted the handle of her small carry case and wheeled it across to Nate. "Can you take this to the car? I'll meet you there."

"Sure." Nate smiled and taking the case he lifted his hand in a wave. The door clicked shut behind him and Stephanie turned to Paul.

"Uh oh. Am I in trouble?" he laughed.

"You should be." Stephanie grinned back and her heels clicked against the concrete floor as she crossed the small room. Her slender hand lifted the wrapped box from the bench and the red and gold ribbon sparkled in the overhead light as she passed it to Paul.

"Actually I just wanted to give you this."

"It's for me?" he asked.

"Well it is Christmas and I don't know." Stephanie smiled lifting her right shoulder in a shrug. "Maybe I like to think that we're friends."

"Friends that exchange Christmas gifts, right?"

Paul's brown eyes wore a strange expression as they looked at her. He looked almost hesitant to accept her gesture and Stephanie wondered if she had over stepped the mark. It was nothing special after all just a token of her appreciation for his kindness and his faith in her the last month or so because Paul's support had meant a lot to her. So did his friendship. Sometimes it was terribly lonely being a McMahon. Being Vince's daughter isolated her somewhat and people looked at her differently but not Paul. From the start he'd been so nice to her and nothing was ever too much trouble for him. Every time she pestered him with a question about the business or bugged him to explain a move in the ring, he was so patient and enthusiastic with her and she was so grateful to him. But maybe too grateful judging by the way Paul was looking at her.

"Look if you feel awkward about it…." Stephanie offered pulling the gift away but Paul's hand quickly snatched it back as his grin lit up his handsome face and any awkwardness she felt about her gesture quickly slipped away.

"Nuh uh uh. Don't even think about it, Princess." he joked as he took the small box in his big hand and lifting it to his ear, he began to shake it. "By the way is it expensive? Because for me it's not about the size you know. It's the quality that counts." he smirked as his arm fell to his side.

"You trying to tell me something there Levesque?" Stephanie grinned poking her tongue between her teeth.

Paul's brow furrowed with his playful frown. "Oh you do not want to even go there."

"In that case I should probably go before this conversation gets even more out of hand." she laughed

"Well before you do….."

Paul's voice trailed off as he placed his gift down on the scratched wooden bench and lifting his hand to rake through his long blonde hair, he reached into his gym back and pulled out another small box. This one was decorated in red and gold wrapping paper with a red ribbon neatly tied around it.

"This is for you." Paul smiled as he offered the box to Stephanie.

"You got me a gift too?" Stephanie asked touched by his thoughtfulness as her long fingers toyed with the edge of the silk decoration.

"Well apparently that's what friends do. They give each other gifts."

"So we're friends, huh?" asked Stephanie as her blue eyes lit up with her smile and her lips curved up gently.

"Eh, I like to think of it more as casual acquaintances." Paul said lifting his shoulder in a shrug.

But as his eyes met hers, Stephanie saw a softness there and an affection that told her it was more than that. Over the last month, she and Paul had definitely become friends and their friendship was something that she was starting to cherish more and more each day.

"Well whatever we are, Merry Christmas, Paul." Stephanie told him as she reached up on her tiptoes and dropped a kiss on his cheek.

"Merry Christmas Steph. I'll see you after the holidays I guess."

Paul's hand rubbed her arm gently before he stepped back and smiled. Stephanie nodded and smiled back reaching for her purse and carefully placing her gift inside. She then hung her coat across the crook of her arm as she left the room.

Her heels clicked loudly in the silent corridor as she made her way towards the exit and the car park. Her mouth lifted in a lopsided grin as she thought about her gift. It had been really sweet of Paul to give it to her and honestly, she hadn't been expecting it. After all Paul was a guy and guys as a rule usually weren't good at these kinds of things. To know that he had taken the time to think of her and buy something for her touched her deeply. She just wondered what it was. Knowing Paul it could be anything especially the mood he'd been in today. She'd had to catch herself a couple of times from wondering if his flirtatious comments towards her had been Paul actually hitting on her.

But as Stephanie stepped out into the chilly night air, she dismissed that idea as totally ludicrous. Paul wouldn't hit on her. He was just having a little fun that's all especially now she was willingly joining in with his teasing. And that's what friends do. They tease one another and of course exchange Christmas gifts with one another.

Stephanie's pretty face lit up with her smile as she opened the door to the rental car and got inside. The heat inside was welcoming and she tossed her coat and purse to the passenger floor before turning her head to see Nate looking at her strangely.

"What's with the look on your face?" he asked her.

"Nothing." Stephanie told him as she held her hands to the heater letting her fingers droop against the warmth. "Paul just gave me a Christmas gift that's all and it was a little unexpected."

"He did, huh?"

There was a beat as Nate rolled his lips together and his hand lifted to rub at his face.

"Look Steph, can I ask you something?"

She nodded. "Sure."

"Do you have the hots for this guy or something?"

Stephanie's blue eyes went wide as she stared back incredulously. "What? No. Just….no." she told him shaking her head vehemently. "You could not be more wrong."

"Well something is going on. I can tell." Nate stated as he looked at her in disbelief.

Stephanie's expression was gentle as she reached over to him and took his hand, squeezing his cold fingers reassuringly.

"Nothing is going on. We're just friends Nate. I mean Paul and I work together and we're spending a lot of time running over lines and ideas for the show. It's only natural that we'd grow a little closer. I actually think it's great that we get along personally and professionally. It certainly makes my life a hell of a lot easier."

"Yeah well as long as you don't get along too well with the guy." Nate scowled in disapproval.

"Am I detecting a hint of jealousy?" Stephanie teased trying her best to lighten the mood. After all it wasn't Nate's fault he felt this way. Even her own brother had commented how close she and Paul were lately but they were wrong. Any romantic inclinations she had for Paul were fictional and they ended the second the cameras stopped rolling.

"Because there is no need to be jealous, Nate. Nothing is going on and besides, Paul's got Joanie. He's happy with her just like I'm happy with you. You've got nothing to worry about."

"You promise?" Nate asked.

Stephanie smiled as she leant across the seat and her lips brushed over Nate's cheek.

"I promise."

The leather seat creaked as she sat back in her chair and the car pulled away. But as her teeth bit down on her lip, it wasn't the kiss with Nate she remembered. Instead it was a kiss in a locker room not five minutes ago and as Paul's face flashed through her mind, Stephanie found herself thinking once more about those damn butterflies.


	7. Chapter 6

Looks like Trips and those wrestling trunks of his provided a little inspiration for me. Just forgive the rusty fingers. It's been a while...lol. And for those of you who still remember me, thanks for the reviews and the feedback. It means a lot. :)

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Chapter 6

Stephanie threw back her glass and drained the last dregs of her wine. It was white, a French Chardonnay and very delicious. In fact it was so delicious she contemplated ordering her third glass of the evening. The wine was the only thing that had relaxed her all day. Work had been extremely stressful to say the least and it hadn't helped that her father had been like a bear with a sore head all day disapproving of each and every suggestion thrown his way. He had been in one of those moods, a mood where he was impatient and intolerable and Stephanie was beginning to question her own sanity for even getting involved in creative. When her father had initially pitched the idea of training her in that department a couple of weeks back, she had been so excited. Now that excitement was beginning to wane after the reality of working so closely with Vince had quickly become apparent. While the chairman of the company gave off the impression he was open to ideas, at the end of the day the only ideas that really counted were his own and to try and convince him otherwise was usually futile. Or at least most times it was. Occasionally he actually did listen to other people and today that person had been Paul.

Stephanie's lips curved up gently as she thought of her onscreen husband. He had a way with her father that was for sure and when he pitched an idea, somehow he managed to convince Vince it had been his own idea in the first place so of course her father rarely refused. Today Paul had persuaded him to let Tori turn on Kane and align herself with X-Pac and while Paul had talked and elaborated further on his suggestion, Stephanie had watched her father as he listened to his employee. It was clear he admired and respected Paul a lot and it was little wonder. Paul was a lot like Vince when it came to his passion for the business. He was driven and determined. There was nothing he wouldn't do to put the company over, a company he loved every bit as much as she did. That was more than obvious when Paul himself had agreed to a brutal street fight with Foley at the Rumble. Mick had decided to leave the company and he'd personally asked Paul to work the programme with him leading to his departure. Of course Paul had said yes and he'd been brimming with excitement ever since. Only the Game could get beaten half to death and be overjoyed about it. Stephanie was convinced one too many chair shots had affected his brain. The guy was absolutely nuts when he got in that ring and nothing it seemed was off limits.

"Getting good and loaded, Princess?"

His deep voice startled her somewhat and Stephanie placed her hand to her chest as if to silence her pounding heart. Speak of the devil!

"Paul!" she cried out in surprise as her blue eyes settled on him.

"The very one." he grinned as he sat in the tall barstool next to where Stephanie was and shifting in his seat, he bumped her shoulder playfully. "You know I thought you high tailed it out of the arena pretty quick tonight. Now I can see why. You obviously had a date with that bottle of wine you've just emptied."

Stephanie rolled her eyes dryly. "It wasn't the whole bottle actually." she said, correcting him. "Just a glass or two."

Paul snorted. "Or six."

"Shut up!" Stephanie retorted playfully smacking his large bicep as she pressed her lips together stopping the amused smile that threatened to cross her face. Paul always did love to tease her about her drinking habits. In fact she swore he got way too much pleasure in it. If he wasn't ribbing her about her alcohol intake, he was always commenting about her coffee consumption or her caffeine addiction as he liked to call it. Apparently eight cups of coffee in one evening proved she had a serious problem. She begged to differ.

"So at the risk of having to deal with you getting all drunk and disorderly on me, care to join me for a drink." Paul asked as his brown eyes darted to the bar tender trying to catch his attention as he washed up a couple of dirty glasses.

"I don't know. After all that wine, an ice water might just tip me over the edge." Stephanie said, teasing him back. There was nothing wrong with giving the Game a taste of his own medicine especially when he took it all in good humour just like she did.

"Watch it, McMahon." he shot back, narrowing his gaze in her direction. An amused smile tugged at his lips as his big hand absently lifted to scratch at his beard.

Stephanie grinned, absently poking her tongue between her teeth. "Actually I was thinking about calling it a night." she admitted as she glanced at the gold bracelet watch on her wrist.

"Light weight."

"A girl needs her beauty sleep you know." she sniffed in return.

"Ah but you'll always be beautiful to me Stephanie Marie. Hey what do you know? That rhymes." Paul grinned causing his brown eyes to twinkle back at her as Stephanie breathed in the faint clean scent of his cologne.

"You're a nut." she told him shaking her head and laughing as he finally managed to get the attention of the bar tender.

"A beer, please." Paul asked him.

Stephanie's brow raised in surprise. "Boy you're living on the edge tonight. Make mine another white wine." she said subconsciously changing her mind about her planned early night. Besides what would she going back to? Umpteen work related emails and a hotel room that was as empty as this bar. Being the boss's daughter definitely did her no favours when it came to any sort of social life. She'd been here all alone until Paul came along a moment ago so the least she should do is grab the opportunity of some company when it came along. And the fact the company was Paul made it all the more appealing to her. The truth was she liked spending time with him. Paul had a wicked sense of humour. He made her laugh. More than that, he was quickly becoming the one true companion she had on the road. It was a lonely existence out there especially when you were a McMahon.

"So she caves. I didn't realise you were that easy, Steph." Paul said as he shifted on the barstool, pushing up the long sleeves of his plain black t-shirt as his attention settled on her while the barman fetched their drinks.

"Actually this is my hard to get act. Don't tell me it's not working?" she grinned widely.

"Oh I don't know. Maybe you already had my interest." he replied, smirking and flipping her a wink.

It was a smirk and a wink that made her stomach flutter strangely like butterflies and Stephanie's hand absently settled there as if to still it. She let out a calming breath and as Paul turned to accept the drinks from the bar tender, she was grateful for that moment to gather her composure. Honestly she didn't know what the hell was wrong with her lately. Paul had only winked at her for goodness sakes. And of course there was the teasing and the flirting. Flirting that she enjoyed more than she cared to admit and flirting that was usually pretty harmless until she started getting all hot and bothered about it. And that was all Paul's fault. He had made her act this way ever since he had mentioned those damn butterflies to her at Christmas. Butterflies that had haunted her ever since and were causing her to have this bizarre hormonal meltdown or whatever it was she was experiencing right now.

"One wine for the lady."

Paul's voice lifted her from her haze and Stephanie managed a smile of appreciation as she accepted her drink from him. Taking a sip, she wondered if the wine was to blame for the strange sensation in her gut. After all, she had skipped dinner and anyone with a half a brain knew that alcohol on an empty stomach was a recipe for disaster. So of course that had to be it. It was obviously the alcohol making her feel this way thank the Lord!

Feeling herself relax at that thought, Stephanie took another quick sip before placing her glass down the bar.

"So, are you going to tell me?" Paul asked suddenly as he turned once more to face her. Stephanie's nose crinkled with her confusion at his question.

"Tell you what?"

"What we were talking about earlier before the show. My Christmas present?" he said reminding her.

Stephanie's blue eyes flickered with recognition as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Oh you mean the signature?" she asked.

Paul nodded, his eyes watching her eagerly and curiously. The rare edition Motorhead vinyl had been the absolutely perfect gift to him especially when it had been personally signed by Lemmy himself. Although how Stephanie had come by that signature was still a mystery to him. She had refused to tell him despite his constant interrogation ever since. "How did you get it?" he asked her, interested and intrigued.

"What can I say?" Stephanie joked as she lifted her right shoulder in a casual shrug. "I stalked the guy over twenty states. He eventually gave in after I took out his security." she grinned.

Paul gave a snort of laughter. "You're a trip McMahon."

His facial expression softened as he lifted his bottle of beer from the bar and his eyes wore a grateful expression as he took a mouthful of the cold drink. To say he had been pleasantly surprised when he had opened Stephanie's gift to him was an understatement. Thankfully he'd had the good sense to open it in private long after Joanie had gone to bed on Christmas Eve. She would have gone nuts if she had known he and Stephanie had exchanged gifts and not only that, his present wasn't exactly the sort of thing you could just walk in a store and pick up. A lot of thought had gone into searching for the album and he'd been extremely touched by Stephanie's generosity. In fact he'd been blown away so much so he'd called her Christmas night to say thank you. It hadn't felt right waiting any longer. Or at least that's what he told himself as he dialled her number. The truth was the second he opened his gift he wanted to talk to her and hear her voice. He didn't know why. He just did. He guessed he just needed her to know how much he appreciated her gesture and he did. He appreciated it more than words could say.

"They've been like my favourite band ever since I can remember." he told her.

"Well that would account for your alarming collection of t-shirts." Stephanie shot back as she bit back her grin. "How many do you have anyways? Like a hundred and fifty?"

Paul rolled his eyes dryly inwardly amused by her comment. "Shut up."

"A hundred and sixty then?"

Paul pretended to glare at her pointedly as he took a mouthful of his drink. He shook his head as he swallowed the beer. "Remind me not to get you another glass of wine. You're a pain in the ass when you're drinking. Actually you're in a pain in the ass sober too."

Stephanie's mouth parted as she pretended to be shocked by that comment. "You know I don't know why I put up with you."

"You're hot for me, that's why." said Paul matter of factly.

Her blue eyes went wide as Stephanie snorted out loud in disbelief and felt an unexpected rush of heat to her face as she glared back at him. "Oh my God. I don't believe you."

"What? You're telling me it's not true?" Paul chuckled cockily.

"Of course it's not true." Stephanie told him indignantly as a voice in her head that sounded suspiciously like her current boyfriend silently informed her that she was blatantly lying. That quite clearly she was hot for Paul and those pesky butterflies were the proof. But Stephanie quickly chose to ignore that voice and settled for a swift gulp of wine instead.

"Steph, you wound me." sniffed Paul as he dramatically placed his left hand on his chest and lightly patted the solid muscle there.

"And you bug me." Stephanie grinned, bantering in return. But her grin began to fade as Paul responded.

"Yeah well you're not the only one. Sadly it seems I have that affect on other women too or at least one in particular." he replied.

His whole demeanour shifted and despite the half smile that still adorned Paul's face, Stephanie couldn't help but detect a hint of something else, a sadness that lingered in those deep brown eyes. It was a sadness that was quickly becoming familiar to her and a sadness she suspected was in large part down to the state of his relationship with Joanie. Paul hadn't said anything of course. He was an extremely private person just like she was but sometimes even private people need a shoulder to cry on and right now, Stephanie wanted to be that shoulder for him. It was the least she could do after everything Paul had done for her the last few months. Paul had welcomed her with open arms and shown her the ropes. He'd taught her so much and he'd been nothing but enthusiastic and patient with her. More than that, he hadn't been like everyone else and treated her differently because of who her father was. Paul had offered her his friendship and she knew without a doubt that what's they were. They were friends and friends were there for one another. And right now she wanted to be there for Paul but that's only if he would let her be of course.

Taking another quick mouthful of wine for courage, Stephanie sniffed, shifting in her stool. Her mouth curved up gently as she placed down her glass, deciding to just bite the bullet and talk to him. After all, it was obvious to anyone with eyes in their head that he and Joanie were having problems right now. As a friend, it would be rude on her part to ignore that fact especially after Paul's thinly veiled comment just now and it hadn't been the first one recently either.

"You know someone once said to me that if I wanted to know something, I should just ask." she said recalling a previous conversation they once had where Paul had said those exact words to her. "So I'm asking you, Paul. Are you happy right now?"

Paul's brow furrowed as his eyes narrowed curiously in her direction. "What kind of question is that?"

"Exactly the question it sounds like." Stephanie told him. "Are you happy Paul?" she repeated.

He lightly snorted in amusement as his lips curled into a small smile. "Sure. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know. Your eyes." she said absently shrugging. "I can't shake the feeling that despite the smile on your face, something's bothering you. It was bothering you at the arena too."

Paul's mouth parted to deny that fact but as Stephanie's concerned blue eyes stared back at him, he suddenly lost the words. After all there was no point in lying to her. It was obvious she knew the truth or at the very least she suspected it and it was little wonder she did. His latest fight with Joanie had reached epic proportions tonight so much so he swore half of Texas had heard her screaming at him as she stormed out of his dressing room. The majority of the people backstage certainly had and the sympathetic looks thrown his way most of this evening had been testament to that fact. Although he reckoned they should be pretty immune to the "Paul and Joanie" show by now. God knows their arguments were becoming par for the course lately and he for one was becoming absolutely sick of it. Not only that, he was starting to feel like he couldn't breathe around her. Her insecurities over his storyline with Stephanie and her ridiculous accusations about them were beginning to stifle him so much so it was a welcome relief each and every time they were apart lately and that was a pretty sad state of affairs for a relationship.

Bowing his head, Paul reached for his beer and downing a large mouthful he realised the Ninth Wonder had even driven him to drink. Another month of her shit and he could be seriously close to becoming a fucking alcoholic.

"Look, I know I should be minding my own business…"

"But you just can't help yourself." Paul shot back as he lifted his head to look at Stephanie once more. Her mouth lifted in an apologetic smile but the warm twinkle in his deep brown eyes told her he was only messing with her and her smile turned into a nervous chuckle of relief as she rubbed her palms over her denim clad thighs.

"Unfortunately for you, no."

Stephanie paused as she silently appraised Paul, her mouth down turning with her worried frown as she let out a soft sigh.

"I guess I just wanted you to know I'm here for you. You know. If you need to talk or anything."

Her hand reached for his arm lightly rubbing his shoulder affectionately and she felt it rise and fall as Paul sighed heavily.

"Trust me McMahon. You don't want to hear about it."

"Well maybe I do." she replied, smiling as her hand fell away dropping once more to her lap. "Because really your problems are a welcome distraction for me." she began light heartedly as she tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. "I mean I've got three million emails I'll probably have to take care of when I get back to my room and God knows what else daddy dearest has decided to pile on my plate at the last minute."

Paul's deep chuckle lit up his handsome face. "There you go exaggerating again. First the t-shirts and now the e-mails. You just can't help yourself, can you?" he teased.

"And you can't help trying to change the subject." Stephanie scolded as she looked at him pointedly. "But it's not going to work, you know."

Paul rolled his eyes dryly knowing that was probably the case. "Of course it won't."

"Because we're friends, right? And as a friend I want to help you." she stressed.

"Or as a friend you could take the hint and go bug someone else." Paul replied. His eyes pretended to be stern as they glared back at her but again there was a glimmer there and the soft expression he wore also betrayed him.

"Oh I'd much rather stay here and bug you to death instead." Stephanie grinned.

"Gee, thanks."

"Oh you're very welcome."

Paul rolled his eyes and looked away. As she watched him take a sip from his beer bottle, Stephanie wondered if she should just drop the subject. Paul didn't seem overly keen to talk about things yet at the same time, she couldn't shake the feeling that he maybe he wanted to. After all, he hadn't bitten her head off yet and he didn't seem overly angry that she had broached the subject either. That and his eyes still seemed so sad. It was a sadness she simply couldn't ignore. Not now.

"Look, how about I give you an opener and if you want to take it you can."

Paul looked at her curiously but she was encouraged by his silence so Stephanie continued on.

"It's Joanie, isn't it?" she said.

His face visibly tensed at her name and there was an awkward pause as Paul cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. Shit. She had pissed him off. Stephanie silently cursed herself for being so blunt and was about to apologise for overstepping the mark when his low voice interrupted her, surprising her.

"Ding ding. Give that girl a prize."

Paul's mouth curled into a small dry smile as he tilted his bottle in her direction, jokingly toasting her success. But there was nothing joking about the matter and that was apparent from the big black gloomy cloud that seemed to settle over Paul just now. His shoulders were hunched too like the weight of his problems had suddenly overwhelmed him and Stephanie resisted the urge to pull him into her arms and hold him tight. Instead she reached for his hand, squeezing it sympathetically.

"Is she still giving you a hard time about the storyline?" she enquired.

"Of course. I mean that woman thrives on being negative about everything. Why should our storyline be any different?" Paul said and Stephanie sighed softly at his admission.

"I'm sorry."

Paul's nose furrowed with his confusion. "For what?"

"I don't know." she admitted, lifting her shoulder in a shrug as she rested her arm on the bar. "I guess I can't help but feel that this is partly my fault."

He shook his head in wonderment. "Why?"

"Well if we weren't working the storyline together, it wouldn't be an issue. You and Joanie wouldn't be fighting."

"You really think that?" Paul asked in amazement.

Stephanie couldn't hide the guilt that swam in her ocean blue pools as she nodded her head. Paul immediately felt guilty too. Guilty that Stephanie was even feeling this way. After all it wasn't her fault his psycho bitch of a girlfriend couldn't separate fantasy from reality. It also wasn't her fault that the McMahon Helmsley storyline was only the tip of the iceberg on the list of problems he and Joanie had been having for months now. Problems that had become so big they were almost impossible to hide anymore.

Smoothing his big hand over his ponytail, Paul decided to come clean. He decided to open up to Stephanie about Joanie. God knows he had to talk to someone or he would go fucking crazy. That and he wanted Stephanie to realise this wasn't about her or anything to do with her. He and Joanie were having issues long before she came along and none of this was any of her fault. Stephanie was completely blameless.

"Look it's not just work, Steph. It's everything else too." Paul confessed as he ran his hand wearily over his face. "We just can't seem to get along and God knows, we're constantly fighting all the time."

He paused and sighed, sounding completely drained as he rolled his lips together thoughtfully.

"See the truth is we've grown apart. It's been happening for a while now and sometimes I wonder if I'm only with her out of habit, you know. I mean it's been four years. Sometimes I think it's a waste to just throw that away but at the same time I know it's no excuse for settling for what we have."

"Which brings me back to my original question." Stephanie said as she looked at Paul, her blue eyes soft with her concern. "Are you happy Paul? And I want the truth this time."

"The truth, huh?"

Stephanie smiled encouragingly and nodded.

"Okay. Well the truth is I'm fucking miserable." Paul finally admitted and a wry chuckle escaped his lips as he tried to dispel the awkwardness he felt at making that admission. And he did feel awkward. He wasn't in the habit of his baring his soul to anyone, let alone a work colleague and his boss's daughter by the way. But as Paul looked at Stephanie, he knew he was doing her a big injustice in thinking of her that way. Because see, she wasn't just the boss's daughter. She wasn't just a work colleague either. Stephanie was a friend. A friend who had taken the time to sit here and talk to him tonight and the same friend who had seen what he had been desperately trying to hide for so long. He was unhappy and he had been for a long time. In fact it had been so long he was struggling to remember a time when he hadn't felt this way.

"So what are you going to do about it?" Stephanie asked coaxing him out of his thoughts.

Paul sighed, pausing for a moment before he voiced out loud what he had been thinking more and more the last few months. He'd just been too afraid to say it before now to himself or to anyone.

"I know I've got no choice. I have to end it for the sake of my sanity and Joanie's before we end up killing one another."

"That bad, huh?" asked Stephanie sympathetically.

"That bad." Paul nodded.

Her hand reached for his instinctively, squeezing his fingers reassuringly as her heart went out to him. "Well I know it's probably little consolation to you right now but I think you're doing the right thing. And I'm here if you ever need to talk or anything."

"I know. Thanks." Paul replied offering a tight grateful smile.

Despite the heaviness he felt in his heart, he felt lighter somehow like just talking to Stephanie had lifted this giant weight from his shoulders, a weight that had been troubling him more than he had cared to admit. Paul realised he had been fooling himself thinking he and Joanie could work things out. Now he had voiced it out loud, he realised it just wasn't there any more. He didn't love Joanie. Not in the way you're meant to love a person. They were over. Now he just had to find the courage to tell her that because despite everything, he still cared about her. He wanted what was best for her. He wanted her to be happy if that was at all possible although Paul was beginning to think it wasn't. It seemed Joanie was a victim of her own success. The more she accomplished in her life, the more miserable she became.

"And in the meantime, I'll have another wine thank you very much."

Stephanie's smile beamed back at him as she looked at him expectantly and Paul grinned suddenly grateful for the change in conversation because he was realised he was completely exhausted talking or even thinking about the walking disaster that was his relationship. He just wanted to forget it if only for a little while and Stephanie was the perfect distraction. In fact her friendship was the one thing he had been able to turn to time and again recently. He was able to laugh with Stephanie. He was able to have fun with her and be the guy he used to be before he and Joanie became so screwed up together.

"What? So you think I'm made of money?" he shot back.

"Let's just say I happen to know you're good for at least another glass or two." Stephanie informed him.

"I'm good for a lot of things actually." Paul said raising his eyebrow suggestively and she let out a snort of amusement.

"Just shut up and buy me that drink." Stephanie giggled as she playfully smacked his arm.

Watching Paul turn to summon the bar tender once more, she tried to ignore the knot of guilt in her chest. The guilt that was associated to the tiny flurry of pleasure she felt knowing it was only a matter of time before Paul and Joanie would be history.


End file.
